Chapter One-Hundred-And-Thirteen
Chapter One-Hundred-And-Thirteen
Ryder
“And I’m not the one who keeps losing the cards I give you. Please, try not to buy a dog, house, or country this time, okay? I have to go to the bar and make sure they put the stock in the right places so Corrine doesn’t fly off the handle again, and I don’t want to come home to a new nation of animals in our backyard again that you ‘found’ at the shelter, okay?” He kissed Kelly passionately, turning from her with a reluctant, worried smile.
He turned to leave with Gene without another word. Did he know something I didn’t?
“He never lets me do anything.” Kelly rolled her eyes.
Kev bemusedly laughed, “Only one out of a thousand times does he ever deny you anything.” Kev bit off a piece of bacon before continuing, “And that’s just because it’s impossible.”
“Yeah, but that time, it was important. Those animals didn’t have anywhere to go.” Fiery indignation flashed in her eyes. It wasn’t hard to see she felt strongly about this.
“Yet you found a home for everyone,” Holly reminded her.
“But I wanted to keep them.”
“Just how many animals were there?” Catalym asked.
“Everything the shelter had when Kelly stumbled across it,” I replied affectionately. “I think she had that particular credit card too, the platinum one that enabled her to bring home two zoos worth of little furry things.”
“I’d never really been to a shelter before, only seen them on T.V. when I watched it. There were so many of them locked in cages and stuff. I couldn’t believe so many people would let such a thing happen,” Kelly replied.
Catalym nodded empathetically.
“I can see why that would bother you. I’ve never been in an animal shelter before, but I know what living in a cage is like.”
Catalym turned from all of them as if embarrassed by her hasty admission. She got up and left the room. I could hear her footfalls going up the steps, down the hall, and into my room.
Fortunately, no one asked me further about Cat’s cryptic remark; I didn’t have answers to appease anyone’s curiosity.
She was struggling with her harsh mixture of anger, hate, and deep sadness. There wasn’t a solitary person in the room who didn’t observe me, observing to gauge what I thought about this.
Yet, I didn’t care. I was struggling, too, hating the way she felt and how small her family had made her feel. I would have to think about ways to make up for some of these horrid happenings that were never far from her mind, no matter how hard she tried not to think about them.
“She’ll be fine, Ryder,” Kelly promised.
I shot her a half-smile; I didn’t feel.
When a composed Cat emerged, I silently set about ushering the girls out of the house. Kev tagged along for safety measures and probably just for kicks. Holly stayed behind to ensure nothing happened in our absence.
I had to drive around in circles for at least fifteen minutes to find parking, my bumper wading through the crowds of people haphazardly crossing in every direction and several vehicles with owners who never should’ve been granted the right to a driver’s license.
Clouds rolled lazily across the sky, yet there was still a fair bit of humidity at this time of year, keeping it pleasantly warm but not hot. Although I was not an expert, I guessed it was good shopping weather. I only shopped when Kelly or Sara managed to drag me.
I was a vampire and could manifest anything that suited my liking at any time—without the crowds, credit cards, or anything else.
As we tumbled from the car, a slightly uncomfortable silence followed us. We all had our worries and parts to play in this puzzle of indefinite war.
Catalym’s hand slipped into mine while we walked through the shade of the trees, past the shop, which sold a variety of semiprecious stones and rocks. A thrum of energy curiously congregated around its walls, but I wasn’t sure why. I’d never really been to this part of Granville Island before, and I couldn’t help but wonder at it. Did stones retain this much energy?
What a surprising concept. I wasn’t huge on the magic involving focal points, but I was beginning to think I should broaden my horizons.
Catalym’s sharp intake of breath as we approached the building made me stop, but she pulled me eagerly towards it. Kelly and Kev followed dutifully behind us without a word of protest.
With each step, the energy thickened. A human wouldn’t feel it unless susceptible to it, but for those of us with the gift, we couldn’t miss it. But here…it was different than most. It seemed possible to even choke; the air was so charged.
These are primal things, Ryder, she answered my thoughts. They hold history and power, something to be respected and revered if you know what to do with them.
Which I didn’t.
She spoke of magic, one I only knew the lightest details about, but the avid interest in her eyes made me listen with a keen ear while she continued to explain the uses of stones.
I was immobile by a large, irregular piece of quartz she pointed out first. It was a deep shade of purple, feathering out to an entrancing shade of violet and then fading to white.
While Catalym relayed images and knowledge, I was enthralled by what she showed me. No one had been so eloquent when explaining unfamiliar magic to me, capturing my complete interest this way.
I reached to touch the purple stone, but another caught my eye. A roughly cut, blood-red gem lay unobtrusively beside it. Catalym smiled down at it like it was an old friend.
“Rubies are sometimes believed to be the greatest gem for sex. It’s like a fine red wine, sensual and beautiful, with prominent and subtle qualities. It holds my preferred energy for long periods and can be used for all sorts of interesting things,” Catalym explained when she picked up the ruby lovingly as if they shared intimate knowledge.